Latest / The Myth of Education Podcast / Ep. 25 | Public Schools Need Competition w/George Khalaf

Transcript

Ep. 25 | Public Schools Need Competition w/George Khalaf · The Myth of Education Podcast

0:00
SPEAKER_00: welcome to the myth of education podcast where we expose corruption advocate
0:04
SPEAKER_00: for student safety and defend parental rights follow us on socials at myth
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SPEAKER_00: before we get into our discussion we'd like
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SPEAKER_00: Thanks for tuning in to the myth of education podcast.
0:46
SPEAKER_01: Be sure to like share or leave a comment on this episode.
0:49
SPEAKER_00: I have with me today, George Califf.
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SPEAKER_00: He is a trusted authority on K through 12 education policy, political strategy at the local
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SPEAKER_00: state and national level he's the co-founder and managing partner at the resolute group
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SPEAKER_00: he's also the co founder and managing part of first day george is passionate about parents
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SPEAKER_00: rights in education specifically ensuring that arizona's education system works for
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SPEAKER_00: parents and students so welcome george to the myth of education podcast
1:20
SPEAKER_00: thanks for having me on so for those unaware i wanted to start
1:23
SPEAKER_00: with what is your affiliation with the non-profit love your school and then
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SPEAKER_01: the az loves esa's initiative yeah so for love your school it's it's easy
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SPEAKER_01: and simple i'm the chairman of the board i've known jenny clark the founder for
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SPEAKER_01: a number of years and helped launch love your school i don't do anything day
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SPEAKER_01: to day i just chair the board and i'm a big supporter of jenny's
1:42
SPEAKER_01: for az loves esa i helped found
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SPEAKER_01: that what's called a political action committee so it's
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SPEAKER_01: an official committee that's designed to push back against
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SPEAKER_01: the anti-school choice ballot measure that save our schools and
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SPEAKER_01: the teachers unions are running i don't have an official position
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SPEAKER_01: but i'm senior advisor and the strategist for the committee and the firm
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SPEAKER_01: that i run has done quite a bit of the messaging and you know design and output work
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SPEAKER_01: that folks have seen
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SPEAKER_00: i rewatched the az freedom enterprise event that i attended and one thing
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SPEAKER_00: that i picked up on that you said was that in all of your years of politics
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SPEAKER_00: that this particular esa battle has the most enthusiasm behind it i wanted
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SPEAKER_00: to ask you why you think that is yeah education is personal what i love
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SPEAKER_01: about doing education marketing which is what first day is is it's not selling
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SPEAKER_01: a toaster or a sparkling water brand or something that is otherwise mundane
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SPEAKER_01: what we are doing and talking about and discussing is the future
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SPEAKER_01: of our children it's very personal for me as someone who has three young kids
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SPEAKER_01: an almost 11 year old a nine year old and
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SPEAKER_01: an eight month old who's not quite school age yet and so
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SPEAKER_01: the reason why there's enthusiasm is because there are moms and dads
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SPEAKER_01: that are otherwise not political they come from all political parties this is
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SPEAKER_01: a republican democrat and
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SPEAKER_01: independent thing that say that,
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SPEAKER_01: hey, as parents, I should be in charge of my children's education.
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SPEAKER_01: I should be able to determine that.
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SPEAKER_01: And so when it's that personal, people are willing to sacrifice their hard earned time.
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SPEAKER_01: Sacrifice, you'd be amazed if any, how many 25, 50, $75 donations
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SPEAKER_01: we've got and I understand those are small and when you're talking
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SPEAKER_01: about multimillion dollar opponents that are funded it's not as much money
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SPEAKER_01: but what it shows is what we like to call grassroots enthusiasm
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SPEAKER_01: and there's no campaign like this that's gonna be able to be successful is if
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SPEAKER_01: the rank and file person who's not gonna often attend
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SPEAKER_01: a political event like you may do or that I may do
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SPEAKER_01: we need them to engage and there's literally thousands of folks around the state
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SPEAKER_01: and people that I went to high school with ironically I went to college with
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SPEAKER_01: or I knew at some point in some other part of my career something that I've done
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SPEAKER_01: that talk about you know ESA's that really care about this because often
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SPEAKER_01: why their children use the empowerment scholarship account and so they are excited
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SPEAKER_01: to ensure that they that they defend it so I I not just stand by
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SPEAKER_01: that statement it really this is the part of politics
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SPEAKER_01: that keeps me going every day is the enthusiasm from
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SPEAKER_01: the average person this is really impactful and it should be impactful and
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SPEAKER_01: that should be at the heart of why each and every one of us do what we do in
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SPEAKER_01: the public policy in the political space
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SPEAKER_00: when you first started you talked about how this is not
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SPEAKER_00: a partisan thing it's not left right whatever my thing is is that
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SPEAKER_00: if parents have such a strong desire to lead an education why do we have
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SPEAKER_00: a government system that is fighting so hard against them what do you think is
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SPEAKER_00: the motive behind
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SPEAKER_00: why a government would want to interrupt something that god has given the right to
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SPEAKER_00: the parents to do and then we have laws that back that yeah so part
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SPEAKER_01: of what i've done in my career a big part of what i've done is i'm known as
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SPEAKER_01: a data guy so i run a survey research firm and i have for
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SPEAKER_01: the last 12 years survey research tells us that a majority of registered republicans
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SPEAKER_01: a majority of registered independents and yes even a majority
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SPEAKER_01: of registered democrats including north of 80 percent of voters that are hispanic
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SPEAKER_01: in heritage support
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SPEAKER_01: dollars following the child and support our state's empowerment scholarship account program so
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SPEAKER_01: the answer to your question is very simple the teachers unions not teachers not rank-and-file
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SPEAKER_01: teachers but the apparatus that needs to maintain control not just for educational reasons
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SPEAKER_01: but for bigger picture
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SPEAKER_01: three they weighed into political topics that are independent of schooling
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SPEAKER_01: or education because they are just the backbone of the sort
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SPEAKER_01: of this like progressive mindset and ideology and so they need to do
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SPEAKER_01: for their purposes they need to do everything they can to stop parents from being
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SPEAKER_01: in charge of their kids education because four years ago we had 12,000 students
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SPEAKER_01: on our state's empowerment scholarship account program
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SPEAKER_01: we now have 102,000 so you can imagine the power difference between 12
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SPEAKER_01: and 102,000 students and that's what really worries them even
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SPEAKER_01: though I still maintain and because it's the truth it is a nonpartisan issue because
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SPEAKER_01: the actual average human being who you talk to setting aside their political party
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SPEAKER_01: the vast majority of people say yeah this makes sense because parents
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SPEAKER_01: of course parents should be in charge of their children's education
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SPEAKER_00: i've watched different documentaries about the unions there was one based on
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SPEAKER_00: the union in illinois it's just so jaw dropping when those people are in
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SPEAKER_00: the streets protesting i want to say was it called waiting
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SPEAKER_00: for superman i think might have been one of them
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SPEAKER_00: that i watched it just makes me think like where are the children
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SPEAKER_00: and what you're doing where are the parents and the families and what you're doing
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SPEAKER_00: and the other thing that i'm really bothered by this is an issue
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SPEAKER_00: that i know we have everywhere but obviously we're in arizona so i'm
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SPEAKER_00: in these boardrooms
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SPEAKER_00: is that i don't understand why our board members feel as if they have to acquiesce
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SPEAKER_00: to unions i don't understand that control coming in
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SPEAKER_00: when we've elected these officials to uphold these policies what
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SPEAKER_00: sway do you believe unions have over our elected representatives on the school board
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SPEAKER_01: so they have a lot because of one major word pressure right the teachers unions know
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SPEAKER_01: and their leaders know how to exert political pressure even even
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SPEAKER_01: against someone who's a registered republican and
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SPEAKER_01: even though when that republican understands that the influence that
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SPEAKER_01: a teachers union has is mostly among more progressive
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SPEAKER_01: or registered democrats they still feel the pressure
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SPEAKER_01: and unfortunately unfortunately tiffany for some folks that go
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SPEAKER_01: into public service desire to run for office and get elected
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SPEAKER_01: even if their intentions were pure or are pure still they don't have
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SPEAKER_01: a strong enough north star and
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SPEAKER_01: is strong enough i like to compare it to tetherball for those that remember playing
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SPEAKER_01: that on the playground a tether ball only works if the string is is good in that rope
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SPEAKER_01: is good if you hit a tetherball
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SPEAKER_01: and the
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SPEAKER_01: path and then people start asking the question what happened
8:02
SPEAKER_01: to XYZ person they become unrecognizable that's what occurs and so
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SPEAKER_01: the important thing is we need to make sure that we're electing
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SPEAKER_01: and bringing good centered righteous I think God honoring in my opinion individuals
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SPEAKER_01: to school board
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SPEAKER_01: but we also need to support them right even our friends
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SPEAKER_01: and allies they need our support we can't send them to the wilderness and
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SPEAKER_01: then say oh yeah you go go forth and prosper go go go do it on your own no we need
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SPEAKER_01: to stand alongside them and that is something as well
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SPEAKER_01: that i think we have we have lost but we have regained i would say in
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SPEAKER_01: the last handful of years from a school board dynamic
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SPEAKER_00: well that's just terrible that the political pressure from unions is more effective
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SPEAKER_00: than the pressure of those who elected and put you in office i'm really sad
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SPEAKER_00: to say here in peoria the guy who's our board president now we can
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SPEAKER_00: but he had flipped and now votes with what we thought that we had
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SPEAKER_00: a conservative majority and now we have another two three situation over something
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SPEAKER_00: as simple as trying to defend students right to be safe around adults
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SPEAKER_00: who are not their parents
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SPEAKER_01: each part of the valley has their own dynamics but i'll say this it's not that
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SPEAKER_01: because i don't want to ever diminish
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SPEAKER_01: or make people feel like oh my gosh no matter what we do
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SPEAKER_01: and no matter how much pressure we exert the teachers unions are always going
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SPEAKER_01: to prevail. I don't
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SPEAKER_01: how to apply concerted and concentrated pressure but as that goes
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SPEAKER_01: I'm not going too much into detail as I've seen as an outsider things unfold
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SPEAKER_01: in Peoria no it's a hundred percent clear that pressure is working
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SPEAKER_01: because he is even having to course correct as he did yesterday from
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SPEAKER_01: a prior statement that the district put out and so no the pressure works we're not
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SPEAKER_01: as used to exerting
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SPEAKER_01: what I would call concentrated pressure right the mindset of a union think
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SPEAKER_01: about it unions function and operate as a group because they understand that
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SPEAKER_01: the power of many is stronger than the power just of one it amplifies it and so
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SPEAKER_01: as those that are on the ideological right we have a different way of applying
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SPEAKER_01: that mindset which I love because that's what sets us apart
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SPEAKER_01: and that's what makes us unique
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SPEAKER_01: the average person typically who's a republican who supports parents rights
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SPEAKER_01: because there's a lot of non-republicans that support parents rights we've got a lot
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SPEAKER_01: of things to do in our lives we've got jobs and kids and stuff and things and and
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SPEAKER_01: and it's it's we can't be what i feel sometimes is like full-time activists right
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SPEAKER_01: and
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SPEAKER_01: we actually have stuff that we have to do
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SPEAKER_01: and that's actually serious I'm not just saying that tongue in cheek it's
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SPEAKER_01: a serious dynamic that we have to contend with but no I want to encourage moms
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SPEAKER_01: and dads we have to keep it up even if it feels hopeless in this moment even
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SPEAKER_01: if it feels that we can't get the job done
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SPEAKER_01: people pay more attention than they even let on because i have been on the insides
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SPEAKER_01: of those conversations and that pressure does work we just have to keep it up
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SPEAKER_01: and be consistent because sometimes the thinking as well if we let them
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SPEAKER_01: if enough time passes they'll forget about us and as long as we make sure
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SPEAKER_01: that they realize and they know we will not forget that i think
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SPEAKER_01: that they will they'll go the direction that that that the people the parents
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SPEAKER_01: the constituents that they serve their bosses they'll go that direction
10:58
SPEAKER_00: so on june 15th okay there was this article that dropped that said
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SPEAKER_00: a secret bipartisan deal between republican legislators and the aea
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SPEAKER_00: the arizona education association was supposed to take place and this is the
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SPEAKER_00: the union that claimed
11:13
SPEAKER_00: would kill their Protect Education Act.
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SPEAKER_00: If passed,
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SPEAKER_00: we know that that would have increased ESA regulations and capped the family income
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SPEAKER_00: at $150K. Well then on June 18th Fortify AZ which of course was funded by American
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SPEAKER_00: confederation for children to the tune of 1.23 whatever millions of dollars
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SPEAKER_00: so they called off their initiative which was
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SPEAKER_00: the arizona empowerment scholarship accounts reform and accountability act
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SPEAKER_00: which is really pompous and long and if passed
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SPEAKER_00: that initiative would have further restricted spending guidelines
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SPEAKER_00: and permanently disqualified families who misused funds etc both
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SPEAKER_00: of those i thought were basically punishing children
11:54
SPEAKER_00: but here's what i want you to help me and my audience to understand george and
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SPEAKER_00: without slinging any mud when it comes to senators steve montenegro warren peterson
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SPEAKER_00: and jake hoffman can you help me understand the role that they played
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SPEAKER_00: in this situation and
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SPEAKER_00: why republicans would negotiate with democrats that's something this important
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SPEAKER_00: as school choice obviously that meeting never happened but lay that out
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SPEAKER_01: for me what happened there yeah so to start at the end with what you said
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SPEAKER_01: the deal never went through there was two attempts two separate attempts in
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SPEAKER_01: that middle of june and then at the end
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SPEAKER_01: of june neither attempt ended up moving forward there's a thinking that the
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SPEAKER_01: the protect education act as it's named which is the save our schools
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SPEAKER_01: and teachers union act would would really i think be catastrophic to
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SPEAKER_01: the ESA program in Arizona and so there's a mindset to say whatever we can do
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SPEAKER_01: to ensure that it stays off the ballot we have to do if
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SPEAKER_01: that means giving up some amount of reforms and there were four reforms
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SPEAKER_01: that were specific to what were being contemplated then in the second deal again
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SPEAKER_01: to not get too wonkish it involved three ballot referrals that the legislature did
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SPEAKER_01: that covered the K-12 education issue more broadly that if we give up some
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SPEAKER_01: of these things but we ensure that this does not make the ballot that's a win
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SPEAKER_01: other people had differences of opinion there were a lot
13:10
SPEAKER_01: of very smart people regardless of if you agree or disagree with their positioning
13:13
SPEAKER_01: on this that had I think valid points on what occurred at the end of
13:18
SPEAKER_01: the day there was just not enough consensus to get there the first time in
13:21
SPEAKER_01: the deal candidly
13:22
SPEAKER_01: folks know not a single democrat in the senate voted for it
13:25
SPEAKER_01: and there was consternation from a couple of republicans and then
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SPEAKER_01: the democrats somewhat shifted their tune but republicans still had concerns
13:33
SPEAKER_01: so like there was a lot of moving pieces and sort of the final attempt was
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SPEAKER_01: to say like okay well can we call a special session after that legislature adjourned
13:43
SPEAKER_01: and can we get some deal now done
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SPEAKER_01: and special sessions themselves are very complicated because either
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SPEAKER_01: the legislature has to call itself into a special session or the governor has
13:52
SPEAKER_01: to do it
13:53
SPEAKER_01: and we are in a very precarious time politically so you asked me why would
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SPEAKER_01: a republican ever negotiate with a democrat well those things did happen in
13:59
SPEAKER_01: in history and they still technically happen now but there's a lot of anxiety that
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SPEAKER_01: the republican grassroots have with democrats rightfully so and i suppose why did a
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SPEAKER_01: democratic grassroots have with republicans and so that special session never came
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SPEAKER_01: to fruition as well again there were folks that i know are 100% supportive
14:16
SPEAKER_01: of our state's ESA program and that want what's best
14:18
SPEAKER_01: for it genuinely not just like they're saying it
14:20
SPEAKER_01: that supported this deal also people that
14:22
SPEAKER_01: generally have what they feel is the best interest of the essay program in mind and
14:26
SPEAKER_01: and they generally do that did not support the deal it didn't end up coming
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SPEAKER_01: to fruition now we know they filed four hundred and twenty-ish thousand signatures
14:33
SPEAKER_01: and so now potential litigation will start around that and then if they pass
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SPEAKER_01: the litigation mark then obviously we'll have to fight it in the ballot box in
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SPEAKER_00: in november so what were some of the points of contention on our side of the aisle
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SPEAKER_00: with that deal going through or not going through
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SPEAKER_01: yeah so the the one of the bigger parts was to say and it's a it's
14:55
SPEAKER_01: a question you know that of course even crossed my mind was like why if this is good
14:59
SPEAKER_01: for us why would the other side want it to right if this is good
15:02
SPEAKER_01: for republicans why does it seem like there was a there's a statement put out by
15:07
SPEAKER_01: the teachers union and a whole bunch of unions and very progressive groups
15:11
SPEAKER_01: that supported it why why were they supporting this and then why would it be good
15:15
SPEAKER_01: for us
15:15
SPEAKER_01: their worst concerns about the reform so the four reforms
15:17
SPEAKER_01: that were being contemplated was fingerprinting mandates for anyone
15:20
SPEAKER_01: who has direct contact with a student it would increase by half
15:24
SPEAKER_01: a percent some funding for the department of education for the management of
15:27
SPEAKER_01: the program it would write into state statute which we have long avoided for
15:30
SPEAKER_01: a whole bunch of reasons as you can imagine
15:33
SPEAKER_01: on allowable expenses that by
15:34
SPEAKER_01: the way are already not allowed case everyone's clear there was a couple
15:37
SPEAKER_01: that are allowed that could be up for debate but all the egregious things
15:40
SPEAKER_01: that have been talked about in
15:41
SPEAKER_01: the media they're already not allowed that's why we know that the people tried
15:44
SPEAKER_01: to spend money on it because they were caught and they were forced to refund it
15:47
SPEAKER_01: finally there was a requirement around how much money people can keep
15:51
SPEAKER_01: in their accounts so it set a limit but the limits were higher
15:54
SPEAKER_01: than what is being proposed under the productive education act in terms
15:57
SPEAKER_01: of how much money can be carried can be carried over so that was the four reforms
16:00
SPEAKER_01: that were being put forward but i would say i think the biggest consternation
16:03
SPEAKER_01: that i heard is just the political dynamics it's like why why now why give it
16:06
SPEAKER_01: to them why does the governor want it is it really good well if these things are not
16:10
SPEAKER_01: on the ballot does that mean they have more money to spend against republicans
16:13
SPEAKER_01: so there's a lot there was a lot of discussion or
16:15
SPEAKER_01: around that again
16:17
SPEAKER_01: the consensus just didn't end up it didn't end up getting there okay well I'm gonna
16:21
SPEAKER_00: tell you how I feel I think any time that someone on the left side wants to come to
16:26
SPEAKER_00: the negotiating table in my mind I think it means that we're winning
16:30
SPEAKER_00: and I don't know that I necessarily discern that is the time that we give any ground
16:36
SPEAKER_00: and once I got the notification
16:39
SPEAKER_00: that the leaders in our legislature were thinking of doing a deal with them to me in
16:44
SPEAKER_00: the moment it didn't matter what
16:45
SPEAKER_00: the deal was i figured just let it go let it let it go to
16:49
SPEAKER_00: the ballot box we don't want to give them any more ground than what the left already
16:54
SPEAKER_00: and full disclosure i pay more attention to school board politics
16:58
SPEAKER_00: than what i do down at the legislature and unfortunately because the nature of
17:04
SPEAKER_00: the political beast you really only hear when something is going wrong
17:08
SPEAKER_00: and you don't hear
17:08
SPEAKER_00: when a lot of what the people on your side are doing right so we don't tend to have
17:13
SPEAKER_00: the media on our side very much and then the expectations that we have for
17:18
SPEAKER_00: our elected officials to perform in a certain way
17:20
SPEAKER_00: We're not going to always have the understanding of the political dynamics
17:24
SPEAKER_00: In that moment, for us as your constituents, that's the number one issue
17:28
SPEAKER_00: And we want you to vote like a conservative
17:31
SPEAKER_00: On that
17:55
SPEAKER_01: there's something that you said that's very important tiffany as someone who
17:58
SPEAKER_01: who now is is 12 days out from from a primary election where i will be on the ballot
18:03
SPEAKER_01: for the first time and it was very surreal to see my name
18:05
SPEAKER_01: in my legislative district running for state house though the way that i try
18:08
SPEAKER_01: to think about
18:09
SPEAKER_01: how to handle potential disagreements is direct and head on and what I mean by
18:14
SPEAKER_01: that is that if we are going to at some point someone's going to disagree with
18:17
SPEAKER_01: with each other the way not to handle it is to do it all behind the scenes because
18:21
SPEAKER_01: that is going to do what with the average person what is the average person going
18:24
SPEAKER_01: to think if they feel that something is happening behind closed doors what's
18:29
SPEAKER_01: the immediately what are they going to go oh they're not going
18:31
SPEAKER_01: to trust you it's nefarious right they think it's nefarious no
18:35
SPEAKER_01: so there's a way to do even if it's not at all
18:37
SPEAKER_01: and again i really think look some folks may disagree with me i i
18:41
SPEAKER_01: because i personally know a lot of the republicans were in the state legislature
18:43
SPEAKER_01: the vast majority of people have the best interests at heart
18:46
SPEAKER_01: for their constituents i just think there's sometimes a misalignment
18:49
SPEAKER_01: with how they portray
18:51
SPEAKER_01: and i think that there are some really good examples of members
18:54
SPEAKER_01: who have disagreements and i've actually seen them in public and they will agree
18:58
SPEAKER_01: to disagree and they will push back and they will give their two cents
19:00
SPEAKER_01: and they'll do it respectfully and man those voters always walk away feeling
19:04
SPEAKER_01: and i've seen it like not not like not secondhand firsthand they always walk away
19:08
SPEAKER_01: saying okay i can at least i can respect it
19:10
SPEAKER_01: or her at least i can because they approached me head on and i think we need more of
19:13
SPEAKER_01: that so the moral of the story here is that when we have disagreements we need
19:16
SPEAKER_01: to do it you know you do it direct now again there are fundamental things it does
19:20
SPEAKER_01: not mean that you can fundamentally disagree on something and
19:22
SPEAKER_01: then just be like oh we're going to agree to disagree no there's going to be a price
19:25
SPEAKER_01: so at some point if you're not aligned enough you know you said at
19:27
SPEAKER_01: the school board level that's something that I'm very excited to be able to tackle
19:31
SPEAKER_01: because as much as I am a proponent of school choice we know the vast majority
19:33
SPEAKER_01: of students in Arizona are still where?
19:35
SPEAKER_01: Educated in our public district schools it just is what it is
19:38
SPEAKER_01: and it probably will be for the foreseeable future look I'm a product of
19:41
SPEAKER_01: a district school I had a good experience I also didn't know the politics of
19:44
SPEAKER_01: the vast majority of my teachers I now found out as I got older
19:47
SPEAKER_01: that the vast majority of them as i got older in high school were actually on
19:50
SPEAKER_01: the progressive left they were and i had no idea though of their politics in
19:54
SPEAKER_01: the classroom and i was super outspoken for anyone who who knew me back
19:57
SPEAKER_01: then i was very outspoken in my politics on campus at my high school
20:00
SPEAKER_01: in mesa public schools and so i think that's the way that that is the way
20:03
SPEAKER_01: that traditionally k-12 education has functioned something broke
20:07
SPEAKER_01: in 2016 we know what caused that break uh president trump caused something in
20:11
SPEAKER_01: the minds of some of our friends on the
20:14
SPEAKER_01: yeah yeah it just it just broke some part of them and they've really struggled
20:19
SPEAKER_01: to like conduct themselves in a way that we have i think long done so in our in our
20:23
SPEAKER_01: in our culture and so look big things have to get done in
20:26
SPEAKER_01: the legislature big things have to get done in our school boards but man
20:29
SPEAKER_01: when we do it in a way
20:30
SPEAKER_01: that makes people feel like we are keeping them out it really really
20:34
SPEAKER_01: is gonna, I'd say 90% of the time, it's gonna backfire more often than not.
20:38
SPEAKER_00: Well, I think that if we have legislators that practice what you just said,
20:43
SPEAKER_00: then there will be more understanding.
20:45
SPEAKER_00: And the last thing I'll say on this topic before we move on,
20:48
SPEAKER_00: once we get bigs in,
20:49
SPEAKER_00: there's no excuse because then at that point,
20:53
SPEAKER_00: I assume you're supporting bigs, right?
20:55
SPEAKER_00: 100%.
20:55
SPEAKER_00: okay good once we get him in and we've still got
20:59
SPEAKER_00: that majority down there we we are going to expect from y'all
21:03
SPEAKER_00: a little less negotiating with the left those who are more moderate in the middle
21:08
SPEAKER_00: who don't want to play a crazy political game and then stab you in the back just
21:12
SPEAKER_00: you know the people that are going to be far left and be crazy like that forget
21:15
SPEAKER_00: about that but people who do want to come to
21:17
SPEAKER_00: the middle i'm obviously very staunchly conservative in my views and values
21:21
SPEAKER_00: but those people who maybe morally they're not figuring things out quite right
21:26
SPEAKER_00: or there is another side to an issue
21:28
SPEAKER_00: that we do need to have that negotiation with people who are going to be
21:32
SPEAKER_00: a little more level-headed and we have an agreement on what it looks like
21:36
SPEAKER_00: for our state to move forward now when it comes to parental rights i've noticed
21:41
SPEAKER_00: that you have chosen this as the thing that you're championing
21:45
SPEAKER_00: and i really appreciate your passion for that campaign i actually have kind of
21:49
SPEAKER_00: a startup non-profit i call it restore parental rights and education
21:53
SPEAKER_00: so i am pro-parent right that doesn't mean that parents can do no wrong or that
21:58
SPEAKER_00: the kids can do no wrong but pro parent to me means god gives the children to
22:02
SPEAKER_00: the parents not to unions not to government and we have a parental rights bill
22:06
SPEAKER_00: that backs that and so that's where i always want to start when it comes with
22:10
SPEAKER_00: a school policy the other side of this is that there's a statistic that says that
22:14
SPEAKER_00: at least 90 percent or up to 90 percent of parents believe their child is at or
22:19
SPEAKER_00: above
22:20
SPEAKER_00: grade level in reading and math but less than 45 percent is
22:24
SPEAKER_00: the proficiency we might be lower than that here in Arizona
22:28
SPEAKER_00: because we're always you know number 48 49 50 and we can talk about that then
22:32
SPEAKER_00: of course 60 to 80 percent of education
22:34
SPEAKER_00: educators think that parents do too little to discipline their kids when there's trouble in
22:39
SPEAKER_00: the classroom or being involved in education altogether and so when it comes to the fight
22:43
SPEAKER_00: for parental rights what do you think parents can do to bridge that knowledge gap
22:49
SPEAKER_00: and take control of education you can legislate something so far
22:54
SPEAKER_00: but where do parents are you seeing need to come in alongside legislators teachers
23:00
SPEAKER_01: that last point is the key place that i'll start as a member my role is
23:04
SPEAKER_01: to empower parents but if that's where we stop society crumbles because
23:08
SPEAKER_01: the next step with empowering
23:09
SPEAKER_01: supporting parents are parents that are actually empowered, okay?
23:13
SPEAKER_01: So as a legislator, the government should empower parents.
23:16
SPEAKER_01: I don't think it should, you know, get a lot involved.
23:18
SPEAKER_01: It should just empower parents and put parents in charge.
23:20
SPEAKER_01: Then as a father,
23:22
SPEAKER_01: as a husband,
23:23
SPEAKER_01: as a Christian,
23:24
SPEAKER_01: as someone who has three kids,
23:25
SPEAKER_01: as someone who's,
23:26
SPEAKER_01: I also understand and will always acknowledge that I am imperfect,
23:29
SPEAKER_01: we as parents need to be involved in our children's lives.
23:32
SPEAKER_01: We as parents,
23:32
SPEAKER_01: the reason why I support school choice or I support parental rights,
23:35
SPEAKER_01: or even if your child goes to a public school, my mom was involved in our education.
23:38
SPEAKER_01: my parents went to parent teacher conferences they sat alongside us
23:41
SPEAKER_01: when we did homework they reviewed our homework that's how you know things are
23:44
SPEAKER_01: happening with your child that's how you know they're falling
23:46
SPEAKER_01: behind that's how you know that something is going on in the classroom
23:49
SPEAKER_01: because kids often feel pressured that could be bullied there could be
23:52
SPEAKER_01: a million things happening but if we're not
23:53
SPEAKER_01: and involved in reading between the lines as parents that stuff will fall through the cracks
23:57
SPEAKER_01: and so that's not something that the legislation should get involved in
23:59
SPEAKER_01: that's about something government can solve
24:01
SPEAKER_01: that is something society has to solve
24:02
SPEAKER_01: that's something that our churches need to be engaged in
24:04
SPEAKER_01: that's a critique of civil society
24:06
SPEAKER_01: and how civil society has fallen apart
24:08
SPEAKER_01: meaning that back in the day 50 60 years ago
24:11
SPEAKER_01: that yeah you live closer to your parents and your siblings
24:13
SPEAKER_01: and you would be involved more in your church and you would be involved
24:16
SPEAKER_01: in what you know some combination of kiwanis or lions or elks or or something like
24:22
SPEAKER_01: that that was community oriented so that when something happens because invariably
24:26
SPEAKER_01: in all of our lives at some point in our lives something has happened to us
24:28
SPEAKER_01: they are there your community is there to help you we are much more isolated
24:33
SPEAKER_01: in today's America and that is
24:34
SPEAKER_01: a big problem sometimes it's self isolation sometimes it's the way
24:37
SPEAKER_01: that our society has been set up so I could ramble on this for hours and hours part
24:40
SPEAKER_01: of my passion and why I'm running is not just that I'm going to
24:43
SPEAKER_01: and how to be a good vote and do things in that way.
24:45
SPEAKER_01: But part of what I really care about and I've tried to spend my career in is
24:49
SPEAKER_01: and why I care a lot about parents' rights is that for me,
24:52
SPEAKER_01: parents' rights is the law side of it and parents' rights is also the empowerment
24:55
SPEAKER_01: of parents.
24:56
SPEAKER_01: Parents' rights is the engagement of parents.
24:58
SPEAKER_01: me as a man speaking to other young men I became
25:01
SPEAKER_01: a father very young I turned 35 this year and I have an almost 11 year old right and
25:05
SPEAKER_01: so I've you know I had to learn the hard way with some things but it's incumbent
25:10
SPEAKER_01: upon us to also teach the next generation and communicate about our experiences and
25:14
SPEAKER_01: so it's multifaceted none of us should be under any illusion
25:17
SPEAKER_01: that policy and policy making is what's going to solve society one
25:20
SPEAKER_01: to me it's i think belief in god and our christian faith that faith
25:24
SPEAKER_01: that does our christian faith should guide the way that we conduct ourselves
25:28
SPEAKER_01: with our children and guide the way that we conduct ourselves in our communities
25:31
SPEAKER_00: well i think to your point once a law is in place once legislation or policy and
25:37
SPEAKER_00: that green light is there sometimes those empowered parents still don't really know
25:42
SPEAKER_00: what to do next or how to approach something and that is kind of
25:46
SPEAKER_00: where my passion comes in is basically when you talk
25:49
SPEAKER_00: about restoring parental rights kind of a play on words there's nothing really
25:53
SPEAKER_00: to restore except the mindset of our culture where family really does come first
25:59
SPEAKER_00: and i like what you said about the churches being involved i think
26:02
SPEAKER_00: that is probably something that we could talk about for hours our government is
26:06
SPEAKER_00: as big as it is because the church is not stepping in as far
26:10
SPEAKER_00: as community services go
26:12
SPEAKER_00: and even social services and providing for families.
26:17
SPEAKER_00: Man, we've got some pretty rich churches around here that could start
26:21
SPEAKER_00: a whole nother ESA fund probably and help families get out of
26:26
SPEAKER_00: the public education system.
26:28
SPEAKER_00: But there was a point that you had made earlier too about the vast majority
26:31
SPEAKER_00: of students are probably gonna always be in the public school
26:35
SPEAKER_00: i am very much a pull your kid out but never take your eye off of the ball
26:40
SPEAKER_00: because future leaders teachers doctors politicians people who are going
26:44
SPEAKER_00: to be our neighbors a vast majority of them are still going to come from
26:47
SPEAKER_00: that public education graduate pool
26:50
SPEAKER_00: once a parent is more involved in the child's life i think public schools have
26:54
SPEAKER_00: to respond to that it's it's something that they have to respond to
26:58
SPEAKER_00: the esa thing it's kind of coming at us in a negative way from the left
27:03
SPEAKER_00: because we're taking the kids out of the system you don't care
27:08
SPEAKER_00: schools it's just that we care about children more than we care
27:11
SPEAKER_00: about the institution i agree with everything
27:13
SPEAKER_00: that you said how you can't legislate parents to do what they need
27:17
SPEAKER_00: to do but that is where activists like myself and others
27:19
SPEAKER_00: can come in and say hey this policy this law is already on
27:22
SPEAKER_00: the books here's the next thing you need to do
27:24
SPEAKER_01: to get more involved yeah yeah and actually i would say
27:28
SPEAKER_01: the critique is ESAs have taken kids out
27:30
SPEAKER_01: of public school no parents have taken kids out of public school and
27:32
SPEAKER_01: then parents seek what options that they have and then they discover
27:35
SPEAKER_01: the ESA unfortunately there's a product that is being sold
27:39
SPEAKER_01: that often people don't want to buy and they have been forced to buying it and
27:43
SPEAKER_01: then post COVID people woke up and said I'm not willing to buy this anymore
27:47
SPEAKER_01: and you know there are people
27:48
SPEAKER_01: that have responded well there are some school districts
27:50
SPEAKER_01: that have actually responded well that accept ESA dollars and
27:53
SPEAKER_01: that are still thriving because they're not woke and they are not talking about all
27:58
SPEAKER_01: the things they shouldn't be talking about in the classroom unfortunately many
28:01
SPEAKER_01: of them are not and then we end up in the problem that we're at
28:03
SPEAKER_01: but ESAs did nothing ESAs are a response to what parents want I'm a big believer
28:08
SPEAKER_01: in market and market forces and to not nerd out economically too much that
28:11
SPEAKER_01: in this scenario demand was high and then supply followed
28:15
SPEAKER_01: because there was not enough supply five six years ago there's still not technically
28:18
SPEAKER_01: enough supply today the amount of new special needs schools
28:21
SPEAKER_01: that are opening up is crazy why because families are desperate for better options
28:25
SPEAKER_01: for their kiddos with autism or with cerebral palsy or with dyslexia or dysgraphia
28:29
SPEAKER_01: or any combination of the above parents want what's best for their kids i mean
28:35
SPEAKER_01: the vast majority of parents do and that's the way that a minimum god designed it
28:38
SPEAKER_01: and so
28:39
SPEAKER_01: yes the church should step up and people within our school district should step up
28:43
SPEAKER_01: and the charters there's far more people stepping up today
28:46
SPEAKER_01: than we're stepping up again 12 20 years ago but we have made a lot
28:49
SPEAKER_01: of progress it started with the theme that you said that people care more about
28:53
SPEAKER_01: the institutions well my like pushback to our movement to
28:57
SPEAKER_01: the school choice movement prior to covet was why i think we kind of cared
29:00
SPEAKER_01: a little bit more about the institutions that we were pushing
29:03
SPEAKER_01: we were more pro those school choice institutions than we were
29:06
SPEAKER_01: the parents being served by those institutions and
29:08
SPEAKER_01: then what covet caused is everyone to set the institutions aside and focus on
29:12
SPEAKER_01: the children and when we did those institutions thrived there's there's
29:16
SPEAKER_01: so many more micro schools and
29:18
SPEAKER_01: private schools and homeschooling
29:19
SPEAKER_01: all kinds of stuff than there was pre-COVID,
29:21
SPEAKER_01: but it's because we started with the child first.
29:23
SPEAKER_01: And that's always my gentle reminder to our allies
29:25
SPEAKER_01: and friends is that it's about the kid
29:28
SPEAKER_01: It's about that family
29:30
SPEAKER_01: then its'about the institution that serves them
29:32
SPEAKER_01: not the other way around
29:34
SPEAKER_00: yeah very good here's something i want to bring up we have these laws on the books
29:38
SPEAKER_00: but i feel as if arizona schools are increasingly becoming this hot spot
29:43
SPEAKER_00: for predators on the payroll okay and peoria unified is at the forefront of this
29:49
SPEAKER_00: because of the power dynamic
30:10
SPEAKER_00: they still can't have a relationship i know the age of consent and all the things
30:14
SPEAKER_00: and i found ars 13-1405 and it basically says that sexual misconduct with a 15
30:19
SPEAKER_00: to 17 year old is actually a class two felony in our state when the perpetrator is
30:24
SPEAKER_00: an educator so
30:25
SPEAKER_00: i didn't see any situation where a child can consent to having sex
30:29
SPEAKER_00: with their teacher this should not be happening and then of course we have
30:32
SPEAKER_00: the mandatory reporting 13-3620 which that's a big part of the issue in peoria usd
30:39
SPEAKER_00: as well so i kind of have a four
30:40
SPEAKER_00: part question but are we currently enforcing these statutes
30:44
SPEAKER_00: in our school districts what does it
30:46
SPEAKER_00: take to get a predator locked up once we have all
30:49
SPEAKER_00: the evidence we need what are your thoughts on
30:51
SPEAKER_00: why the police department would close an investigation without doing the man
30:55
SPEAKER_00: So what are your thoughts on that?
31:10
SPEAKER_01: so teachers should not be having any type of relations
31:14
SPEAKER_01: with their students we absolutely need
31:16
SPEAKER_01: to enforce those laws we absolutely need mandatory reporting we absolutely need
31:20
SPEAKER_01: to protect our kids there's no gray there's no confusion it's not hard how it's
31:24
SPEAKER_01: played out and who's at
31:26
SPEAKER_01: obviously as you said is still being sorted out i would be shocked
31:29
SPEAKER_01: if some charges were not levied it
31:31
SPEAKER_01: seems clear that at a minimum for being generous that there was negligence on
31:35
SPEAKER_01: the part of the school
31:36
SPEAKER_01: district if not outright illegal things that occurred in the way that they covered it up or
31:40
SPEAKER_01: least attempted to that is crazy to me it doesn't matter if it's a female teacher with
31:45
SPEAKER_01: with a male if it doesn't matter if it's a male teacher
31:46
SPEAKER_01: with a female
31:48
SPEAKER_01: any extrapolation of that is not okay our children need
31:51
SPEAKER_01: to be protected they are far too young we know that that's why we have rules and law
31:54
SPEAKER_01: that say that you're not technically legal adult until 18 even
31:58
SPEAKER_01: then we know what happens in our brains from 18 to about 21 25 but
32:01
SPEAKER_01: at some point we have to pick an
32:02
SPEAKER_01: you can go to war at least you're a legal adult but anything beyond that is crazy
32:07
SPEAKER_01: but even to your point because of the power dynamic even if somehow you happen
32:10
SPEAKER_01: to have a senior who's 18 I think there's some carve outs in our law that set
32:14
SPEAKER_01: that relationship aside obviously the answer to are they being
32:19
SPEAKER_01: i don't know how widespread that is i would pray to god that it's not widespread
32:27
SPEAKER_01: because that would be terrifying but there's clearly there's clear work that has
32:31
SPEAKER_01: to be done in digging into this issue to say okay are the laws sufficient
32:35
SPEAKER_01: that we have on the books
32:36
SPEAKER_01: are those laws if yes are they being actually enforced
32:40
SPEAKER_01: if no why are they not being enforced and we need to do that across the state
32:44
SPEAKER_01: of arizona and ensure that we are protecting our kids to me it's as simple as
32:47
SPEAKER_01: that i understand it's not simple and i understand it's complicated because there's
32:49
SPEAKER_01: a million people in
32:51
SPEAKER_01: you know in this situation in peoria people are trying to unravel happening close
32:56
SPEAKER_01: to my heart because yeah you know of course of course but but
32:58
SPEAKER_01: the bottom line is like something clearly did not work well i mean and and
33:02
SPEAKER_01: then unfortunately you see the online commentary where it was like the worst kept
33:06
SPEAKER_01: that these two individuals were doing what they were doing that's i mean that's
33:10
SPEAKER_01: terrifying i don't know what else
33:11
SPEAKER_01: to say it's it's terrifying it's gross it's negligent the word negligence carries
33:15
SPEAKER_01: a lot of weight negligence is almost worse than um i mean it's not worse
33:18
SPEAKER_01: than intentionality but this disregard for children this disregard for
33:23
SPEAKER_01: the law this disregard for the rules is really really bad on behalf of anyone
33:28
SPEAKER_01: in leadership it's on behalf of anyone period but it's especially bad on behalf
33:32
SPEAKER_01: of anyone in leadership
33:33
SPEAKER_00: and is that what it is it's just a disregard because i'm i'm in consternation
33:37
SPEAKER_00: because to me it's as simple as you say like i'm just trying to give the benefit of
33:42
SPEAKER_00: the doubt you can't give the benefit of the doubt to a predator they need
33:45
SPEAKER_00: to be locked up but those who
33:48
SPEAKER_00: are in a position to defend the kids i shouldn't be confused by the moves
33:52
SPEAKER_00: that they're making i'm not understanding
33:54
SPEAKER_00: if we have these statutes it just seems very simple to me it's the save
33:58
SPEAKER_01: the face issue they knew something was wrong they tried to take care of it but
34:02
SPEAKER_01: when you try to take care of it outside of the means that would make it public
34:05
SPEAKER_01: you usually end up stepping in and not taking care of it.
34:08
SPEAKER_01: So if we're being generous, if we're being charitable to what happened, it was negligence.
34:13
SPEAKER_01: If we're not, then no people intentionally broke the law of that.
34:16
SPEAKER_01: I really hope that that's not the case because our kids paid the price
34:19
SPEAKER_01: and we'll continue to pay the price
34:20
SPEAKER_01: if we don't stop this right away.
34:22
SPEAKER_01: So there's a lot of work that has to get done as we work through what happened in Peoria
34:25
SPEAKER_01: and local folks worked through that as a state and as a State Legislature,
34:28
SPEAKER_01: We need to think through are the laws sufficient?
34:30
SPEAKER_01: Do they have enough teeth?
34:32
SPEAKER_01: Is there enough punishment?
34:33
SPEAKER_01: And if there is and there is enough teeth then why the heck were they not followed
34:36
SPEAKER_01: and what example is going to be made to ensure this never happens again?
34:39
SPEAKER_00: well i want the incentive to be to do the right thing and unfortunately the way
34:43
SPEAKER_00: to get to that is to make the punishment harsher for doing the wrong thing
34:48
SPEAKER_00: because you know you would agree with me we're in a fallen state but when it comes
34:51
SPEAKER_00: to kids we can't have a lackadaisical approach
34:56
SPEAKER_00: to their safety we have to really think about the long term consequences as well
35:01
SPEAKER_00: of some of the things that children are being exposed to I make a connection between
35:06
SPEAKER_00: the things that they may be learning in a public school or the experiences
35:09
SPEAKER_00: that young kids are having to then we see people rioting in the streets and being
35:14
SPEAKER_00: against our law enforcement
35:16
SPEAKER_00: that's not something that somebody just wakes up and decides that they're going
35:19
SPEAKER_00: to go out and protest this is something that has been indoctrinated i know we use
35:24
SPEAKER_01: that word a lot but it's systemic indoctrination that has been done over the course
35:29
SPEAKER_01: of multiple generations if any and we
35:31
SPEAKER_01: we as conservatives maybe not the you we you've probably been paying attention
35:34
SPEAKER_01: a lot longer than the average conservative we as conservatives
35:36
SPEAKER_01: though broadly speaking just woke up to what's happening in
35:38
SPEAKER_01: the school districts maybe 10 years ago if that if not more more recently
35:42
SPEAKER_01: because we just said oh okay well that's that's not our domain we just pull our kids
35:46
SPEAKER_01: out but the problem is that they still educate the vast majority of kids and
35:49
SPEAKER_01: so we can't just not run people for school board i mean there were so many cycles in
35:52
SPEAKER_01: a row literally zero candidates for large school districts school districts
35:55
SPEAKER_01: that elected republicans to the legislature school districts
35:57
SPEAKER_01: that had far more republicans than democrats
36:00
SPEAKER_01: and we would literally not even field a candidate,
36:02
SPEAKER_01: let alone,
36:03
SPEAKER_01: you know, okay,
36:03
SPEAKER_01: now we're still not winning in some of them, but at least we're fielding candidates.
36:06
SPEAKER_01: I mean, I couldn't believe that we weren't doing it, but we just woke up.
36:09
SPEAKER_01: It took a while though.
36:10
SPEAKER_00: Well, I wanna go back to something when it comes to the ESAs.
36:14
SPEAKER_00: ESAs are doing a good job of helping bring in some competition for public schools
36:19
SPEAKER_00: but I consider ESAs at this present time until we can codify something they seem
36:24
SPEAKER_00: a bit volatile so every election cycle we just we have this race that we're trying
36:28
SPEAKER_00: to to run against the left unless we obviously go red completely
36:34
SPEAKER_00: in that event you were talking about how we are not opted in as a state for
36:38
SPEAKER_00: that tax credit option for school choice and i was trying to understand
36:43
SPEAKER_00: that yeah i was trying to understand that and how the stos work and so
36:47
SPEAKER_00: by failing our students these public schools cannot continue to thrive off
36:52
SPEAKER_00: of failure which is actually what's happening right now
36:54
SPEAKER_00: and really any learning environment that's not working for a child a parent
36:58
SPEAKER_00: should be able to pull their child out of so talk a little bit about how stos work
37:04
SPEAKER_00: the tax credit and kind of lay that out if esa's are a route that
37:08
SPEAKER_00: a parent doesn't want to go what other option do they have to capture some
37:11
SPEAKER_01: of those taxpayer funds yeah so at the state level we have a tax credit option
37:16
SPEAKER_01: in arizona that could be used for private school only no homeschool
37:20
SPEAKER_01: no nothing other
37:21
SPEAKER_01: than no supplementary stuff it's just private school tuition we have it we've had it
37:24
SPEAKER_01: for very long time multiple decades it's a very thriving and growing program
37:28
SPEAKER_01: if you're low income or have need space you can get corporate dollars but um any one
37:32
SPEAKER_01: of us as taxpayers if you have state liability can can give and we can uh denote
37:37
SPEAKER_01: a child and then often that child will get that let's gosh it
37:40
SPEAKER_01: what the federal government passed in the big beautiful bill was
37:43
SPEAKER_01: the federal scholarship tax credit the FSTC that would be in addition
37:47
SPEAKER_01: to what happens at the state the federal government has an option but a state has
37:50
SPEAKER_01: to opt in and our governor is the one that decides
37:53
SPEAKER_01: and right now Kate Cobbs has decided she is not going to opt in Governor Polis
37:56
SPEAKER_01: a democrat has Governor Hochul a democrat in New York has or will I think
38:01
SPEAKER_01: and there's a couple of other democrats that are contemplating it
38:03
SPEAKER_01: katie obbs has so far said that she will not opt us in what that would allow us
38:08
SPEAKER_01: to do is there would be dollars from the federal program that could be used
38:12
SPEAKER_01: for any option you could be a public school student and your parents want
38:16
SPEAKER_01: to have supplementary things
38:16
SPEAKER_01: for you you could use it charter private homeschool tuition
38:20
SPEAKER_01: the rules and regulations are not fully out yet so there's gonna be some tinkering
38:23
SPEAKER_01: with what I just said but in general it has a much wider array of use
38:27
SPEAKER_01: and I think it's a tremendous option and it would sit alongside our state tax credit
38:32
SPEAKER_01: and it would sit alongside our ESA because at the state level the ESA
38:35
SPEAKER_01: and tax credit cannot be combined
38:38
SPEAKER_01: with this federal one the ESA and the tax credit will be able to be combined with
38:41
SPEAKER_01: the federal one the first year that it will roll out is 2027 if your state opts in
38:46
SPEAKER_01: but again so far we haven't opted it so that's the that's the description
38:49
SPEAKER_01: and I will address this off the bat there are a
38:52
SPEAKER_01: many folks,
38:53
SPEAKER_01: myself included,
38:54
SPEAKER_01: I'm sure you too Tiffany that have a lot of consternation with what
38:57
SPEAKER_01: the federal government does and we say we don't want federal involvement in things
39:00
SPEAKER_01: and we don't but for many blue states this is the only option
39:02
SPEAKER_01: that they're gonna have and so I think who would I rather be dictating
39:07
SPEAKER_01: and delineating
39:07
SPEAKER_01: creating federal dollars would I rather have the federal government do it
39:11
SPEAKER_01: or would I rather have parents who are giving the tax credit
39:13
SPEAKER_01: and any scholarship granting organizations who are
39:15
SPEAKER_01: then distributing them out no I'd rather have a non-profit be able to do that
39:18
SPEAKER_01: because they're going to do it more efficiently I'd rather have the parent be able
39:20
SPEAKER_01: to determine that and so I don't want to we don't want to lose out on
39:23
SPEAKER_01: an opportunity especially in a state like New York that does not have an ESA
39:26
SPEAKER_01: or state like Colorado and obviously it would be an additional set of resources for
39:30
SPEAKER_01: for families in Arizona
39:31
SPEAKER_00: so is this something that at a future time our next governor would be able to opt us
39:36
SPEAKER_01: into yes at any point you can opt in it's a rolling basis it's not like
39:39
SPEAKER_01: if we don't do it now we're going to lose out on it so we can you know the moment
39:43
SPEAKER_01: that you would take office let's say the first second monday of january
39:46
SPEAKER_01: could opt us in that moment and probably would have an executive order ready to do
39:49
SPEAKER_00: so and then what trump signed is basically that's good forever right
39:55
SPEAKER_01: until something else is written technically a future congress could overturn it
39:59
SPEAKER_01: but you'd have to triangulate all three branches so
40:01
SPEAKER_01: so at least it's here for another two years if somehow Republicans lose both
40:05
SPEAKER_01: the House and Senate but
40:06
SPEAKER_01: as you know Tiffany once something rolls out it's really hard to often claw it back
40:10
SPEAKER_01: and so I think there'd have to be a you know we'd have to be asleep at the wheel
40:12
SPEAKER_01: for it to be rolled back but it's obviously still a very new program
40:15
SPEAKER_01: so we'll see what kind of adoption it gets as well
40:17
SPEAKER_00: all right well here's how i want to wrap this up george all right
40:20
SPEAKER_00: so i've watched you i've been following some things and i have to just be honest
40:26
SPEAKER_00: and say george you're a little too good to be true you put god first with everything
40:33
SPEAKER_00: and then you're a husband and then you're a father you're putting things in
40:36
SPEAKER_00: the right order and i gotta tell you it sounds really good we understand by
40:41
SPEAKER_00: a contrast
40:42
SPEAKER_00: that the political
41:12
SPEAKER_00: morally so my question is what makes you different from all other republicans
41:18
SPEAKER_00: and conservatives who claim to be christian what guarantee do we have
41:21
SPEAKER_00: that you're not gonna flip once you get in office george yeah yeah
41:25
SPEAKER_01: so every time i talk about politics or i give a speech i always talk about
41:29
SPEAKER_01: and i start with my family story because that's that's my my why so my parents i'm
41:34
SPEAKER_01: a libanese christian i was born in libanon my parents met fighting in the civil war
41:38
SPEAKER_01: and i grew up with stories about the war
41:41
SPEAKER_01: so when you grow up with stories about a war and your parents fighting my dad fought
41:45
SPEAKER_01: on the front lines for a part of it for part of it he was in
41:47
SPEAKER_01: an underground bunker advocating for his faith fighting with
41:49
SPEAKER_01: the christian militia my mom and my dad met in that underground bunker
41:52
SPEAKER_01: after my mom stepped up to do her part after her older brother died at the age of 18
41:58
SPEAKER_01: when he put his life on the line for his faith and was leading other men in doing
42:02
SPEAKER_01: the same and there were tens of thousands of christians and libanese that died in
42:05
SPEAKER_01: that civil war i start with that story
42:07
SPEAKER_01: because i'm not perfect every human is not perfect we know that that's why
42:11
SPEAKER_01: that's why we desperately need salvation from from god and yeah i'm not running
42:16
SPEAKER_01: to be a pastor i'm running to be a legislator but my faith is everything
42:20
SPEAKER_01: to me it is my north star it is what keeps me tethered it's what's allowed me
42:25
SPEAKER_01: to walk through the darkest times of my life because i understand
42:29
SPEAKER_01: that my future is not in my own hands i'm not my own god thank god
42:33
SPEAKER_01: that god is my god and that he loves me he loved me before i was saved
42:37
SPEAKER_01: and and he loves me now and that every day because of that love we strive
42:41
SPEAKER_01: to do what's best and so my commitment is not going to be that I'm never going
42:44
SPEAKER_01: to make a mistake my commitment is that I am held accountable to you
42:49
SPEAKER_01: the people I'm held accountable to God most importantly
42:52
SPEAKER_01: and that there are men that I've intentionally surrounded myself with in my life
42:56
SPEAKER_01: that will hold my feet to the fire I have a weekly prayer for that reason as well
43:01
SPEAKER_01: because if for folks that can see behind me that's a depiction of Daniel in
43:05
SPEAKER_00: the lion's den major
43:07
SPEAKER_01: is your fan of art that depicts scenes like that in the Bible because anyone
43:12
SPEAKER_01: in elective life is in the middle of the lion's den and is dealing with all kinds
43:17
SPEAKER_01: of pressures and things but if we don't have that level of accountability it's
43:22
SPEAKER_01: a problem
43:22
SPEAKER_01: so you said something that is very important to me to me yes i'm very proud to be
43:26
SPEAKER_01: a republican the most proud to be a christian
43:29
SPEAKER_01: and my christianity is what informs my republicanism
43:33
SPEAKER_01: and my conservative ideology not my conservative ideology informs my faith
43:37
SPEAKER_01: when you start with your faith and have that inform your politics
43:40
SPEAKER_01: the decisions become a lot easier and more clear cut and our conduct should
43:43
SPEAKER_01: then follow
43:44
SPEAKER_01: right i just have i have been so blessed with so many good role models starting off
43:49
SPEAKER_01: with my parents especially my father i look up to him in ways that is hard
43:52
SPEAKER_01: to describe but both of my parents are such a good model for selfless not just love
43:56
SPEAKER_01: but advocacy and sacrifice and they both are very political in their own ways
44:01
SPEAKER_01: and they taught me so much of what i know and man do they have tender hearts
44:05
SPEAKER_01: but spines of steel and that is also the message that i give to young men
44:09
SPEAKER_01: or parents is that christ was equal parts loving
44:14
SPEAKER_01: and forgiving but he had equal parts mercy and justice when he embraced
44:18
SPEAKER_01: the sinners he embraced the sinner and loved them
44:21
SPEAKER_01: and said sin no more didn't embrace the sinner
44:23
SPEAKER_01: and say go do continue doing what you're doing the progressive left misses
44:27
SPEAKER_00: that entire part of christianity well i'm definitely going to try to have you back
44:30
SPEAKER_00: because i could talk about the bible all day every day
44:35
SPEAKER_00: here's one thing i did want to plug and then i'm going to let you get
44:37
SPEAKER_00: the last word um when you said that your faith informs what you're doing on
44:41
SPEAKER_00: the political arena there are going to be people of other faiths that you're
44:46
SPEAKER_00: in this arena with and i just want to say to our audience
44:48
SPEAKER_00: that we understand not everybody
44:50
SPEAKER_00: who hears this podcast is a christian we have excuse me a big mormon population here in our
44:55
SPEAKER_00: state and other things and from a first amendment perspective we respect your right to
44:59
SPEAKER_00: those beliefs but there has to be a moral authority and even our founder
45:05
SPEAKER_00: authors would agree with what we're saying here that they chose to use
45:08
SPEAKER_00: the scriptures as a part of their manuscript for writing our founding documents and
45:14
SPEAKER_00: so even if you're not a christian you could be an atheist whatever but this the set
45:18
SPEAKER_00: of principles that are laid out in scripture inform how a society should function
45:25
SPEAKER_00: so i don't believe george that you're necessarily trying to convert anybody
45:29
SPEAKER_00: but what you're doing like you said you're not running to be a pastor i think that
45:33
SPEAKER_00: that is something that we as your constituents will be accepting of is that
45:38
SPEAKER_00: if we can trust that you are doing everything to
45:41
SPEAKER_00: morally stay in alignment with the word of god that is something
45:45
SPEAKER_00: that we can appreciate even when those decisions get hard and so the last word
45:50
SPEAKER_00: though i want to give to you is to your constituents in ld3
45:54
SPEAKER_01: that may be watching this this entire podcast is an embodiment of the way
45:58
SPEAKER_01: that i think through things we didn't talk about every topic
46:00
SPEAKER_01: the subject matter obviously was education but the thinking could be applied
46:04
SPEAKER_01: to everything from water and development
46:06
SPEAKER_01: to affordability to law enforcement everything in between it's about a mindset it's
46:09
SPEAKER_01: about a value system a worldview that I apply it's about the way that I think
46:13
SPEAKER_01: through things it's a way that I process difficulty it's the way that I work
46:16
SPEAKER_01: with others all of it is informed by who I am my faith in my background and so
46:21
SPEAKER_01: I'd be honored to earn one of folks' two votes.
46:24
SPEAKER_01: There's actually four people running for the two seats.
46:26
SPEAKER_01: I feel proud of the campaign that we've run.
46:28
SPEAKER_01: I'm confident that we're in a good position and that I'll be one of the two members
46:31
SPEAKER_01: that is nominated on behalf of the Republican Party on July 21st.
46:35
SPEAKER_01: But my parting message is that I just would encourage people always to have hope,
46:39
SPEAKER_01: have hope because of God and faith.
46:41
SPEAKER_01: have hope that no matter how bleak things may seem or how difficult it is
46:45
SPEAKER_01: and we've got calamity
46:45
SPEAKER_01: internationally and domestically. We've never been unfortunately farther apart as a country
46:50
SPEAKER_01: uh as a people but we have to have hope and we have keep fighting and pushing through because
46:54
SPEAKER_01: if our response and answer to difficulty is to pull back then we know
46:59
SPEAKER_01: those that wish ill and do not have the best intentions for our state
47:02
SPEAKER_01: and nation will prevail this country 250 years ago was built because there was
47:06
SPEAKER_01: a number of brave men and women that decided that they were willing
47:08
SPEAKER_01: to put their lives on the line for our nation and we need
47:11
SPEAKER_01: to do our part 250 years later to ensure that we have another 250 years
47:15
SPEAKER_01: of this constitutional republic